Schools

Work Moving Ahead on New High School, Likely to Extend Into the Evening Some Days

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The steel frame of the gymnasium at the new Watertown School before the slab is placed on the area in early April. (Courtesy of Vertex)

The following announcement was provided by Watertown’s project management firm, Vertex:

The new WHS Project Site remains busy as the site preparation and steel detailing continues. Above is a current view of the steel erection progress (view of the new gymnasium space) ahead of our upcoming slab on deck placement in this area next week. We have several slab placements on the schedule for next week proposed for the following dates:

Monday April 1st : Gymnasium

Wednesday April 3rd

Thursday April 4th

These slab placements are beginning at 7 a.m. on each of the above dates. The duration required for the slabs to be finished is dependent on the outside air temperate and weather conditions on the day of placement.

Schools

Familiar Face Returning to Watertown to Lead Effort to Create Universal PreK Program

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Theresa McGuinness has been appointed as Principal of Watertown’s Early Steps School. (Contributed Photo)

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

Watertown Public Schools is pleased to announce that Dr. Theresa McGuinness will become the principal of the Early Steps School, starting this summer. Dr. McGuinness returns to the district as the City of Watertown and Watertown Public Schools open a free Pre-K program for 4-year-olds in the fall of 2024. Watertown will become one of the only municipalities in Massachusetts to offer no-cost Pre-K education when the program launches. “I’m very excited at this opportunity to return to WPS as Principal of Early Steps and to work closely with the fine educators and support staff there – particularly given the plan to provide free universal PreKindergarten beginning in the fall of 2024,” said Dr. McGuinness.

Schools

German International School Expanding into Watertown

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The following information was provided by the German International School Boston:

German International School Boston (GISB) is excited to announce the signing of long-term leases for two campuses, signaling a momentous leap forward in the school’s expansion and development trajectory. The first campus is the current 57 Holton Street location in Allston, a cornerstone of GISB’s educational history. The second location is situated at 46 Belmont Street in Watertown and represents an exciting new chapter for the educational institution. These lease agreements signify a crucial milestone for GISB, providing the much-needed space to accommodate its growing student body and enhance its educational offerings. The Belmont Street campus will serve as the future hub for GISB’s preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school programs. This strategic move consolidates younger students into a single campus.

Schools

Watertown Schools Received $20K in Grants from Community Foundation & Local Biotechs

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with three Watertown-based life science companies, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics has awarded $20,000 in STEM grants for students in Watertown Public Schools (WPS). This additional funding for STEM initiatives will bring WCF Education grant funding to WPS to an annual high of $55,000 for 2023-2024. Three corporate contributors, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics have contributed $15,000 to the WCF STEM FUND to help bring elementary and high-school students the opportunity to participate in hands-on, science-based learning that expands beyond the classroom experience and the general curriculum. This collective giving program also allows companies, leaders and employees in Watertown’s life-science ecosystem to learn about WPS and forge deeper relationships with the school STEM community. The WCF has committed an additional $5,000 to support this program.

Schools

Chamber Scholarship Deadline is Approaching!

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The Charles River Regional Chamber announced it is offering scholarship opportunities for up to four deserving students who either live in Needham, Newton, Watertown, or Wellesley and/or who attend school in Needham, Newton, Watertown, or Wellesley and who plan to attend an accredited program, community college, college or university in the next academic year. The student(s) selected will have a check (approximately $2,000) sent to their college or university to apply toward tuition upon completing their first semester. New this year, the chamber is expanding eligibility for a scholarship to include high school graduates attending community colleges and other accredited post-secondary programs.

Selection will be made by a panel of local leaders who will review all applications completed by the submission deadline of March 29, 2024, at 5 p.m. Decisions will be made based on a combination of the application’s completeness and accuracy, letter of recommendation, and responses to essay questions. For more information and to apply – https://www.charlesriverchamber.com/scholarship

Schools

Watertown Rotary Club Offering Scholarships, See How to Apply

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The following information was provided by the Rotary Club of Watertown:

All residents of Watertown who are high school seniors and applying to college are eligible for Watertown Rotary Scholarships. The amount of each award and the number of scholarships granted are determined on a yearly basis. 

All eligible residents must submit completed applications, postmarked no later than April 12, 2024 to:

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEEROTARY CLUB OF WATERTOWNc/o Anthony Donato42 Arden RoadWATERTOWN, MA 02472

The form must be completed in full and accompanied by a transcript and letter of recommendation to be considered a valid application. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee. All information supplied on this form will be kept strictly confidential. Only one application need be submitted to be eligible for consideration for all scholarships available through the Rotary Club of Watertown.

Schools

Students from The Guild School Volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry

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Students from The Guild School sort items and put the on the shelves at the Watertown Food Pantry. (Courtesy of The Guild School)

The following piece was provided by The Guild School:

Each week, a group of Guild School students and vocational services staff volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry. Volunteers sort items into bins, bag vegetables, stock the shelves with food items, and check expiration dates. Students work on travel training skills to get to and from the pantry. The Guild for Human Services serves more than 160 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities annually through educational, residential, and clinical programming.

Schools

Perkins School for the Blind Teams with MIT to Host Hackathon: The Super Bowl of Accessibility

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A team working on ideas to adapt technology for those with disabilities at #HackDisability: AI for Accessibility Hackathon hosted by MIT and Perkins School for the Blind. (Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind)

CAMBRIDGE — On any given Friday night at MIT there’s bound to be a few stragglers hanging around the Strata Center, the architecturally world-famous building in Cambridge that houses the MIT Computer and Artificial Intelligence Lab. On Friday Feb. 23, there were more than a few folks about, and not just from MIT: people from Perkins School for the Blind, Amazon, the Museum of Science, Cisco, and even a representative from the White House gathered for Perkins’ “#HackDisability: AI for Accessibility Hackathon,” the Watertown-based school’s second-ever hackathon and the first focused specially on harnessing artificial intelligence for a group that is often left behind by technology. The task was seemingly simple.